Inside Iowa State
July 7, 2000
My favorite bug
Summer in Iowa means hot muggy weather ... and bugs! While
many of us face July with a can of bug spray firmly in hand,
faculty in the department of entomology are downright fond of
some of the invertebrates. Here are a few of their
favorites.
Joel Coats, professor and chair of entomology
My favorite would be the dogbane beetle. It's a brilliant metallic green beetle, about one-half inch long and about a quarter of an inch wide, so it's pretty good-sized. It feeds on the dogbane leaves, so that helps control it as a weed. The dogbane beetle is both beneficial and really beautiful.
Jerry DeWitt, professor of entomology
Without a doubt, my favorite is the lightning bug. It brings back memories of a warm, pastoral, rural setting. It really is Iowa. And those innocent little lights are really part of an intricate dating system to make sure the right bug gets with the right partner.
Jon Tollefson, professor of entomology
The corn rootworm, because I do my research on it and it means job security for me. The corn rootworm is very flexible. It has adapted to almost every management technique. They are here year round, as larvae in the soil, but in July the beetles emerge from the soil and then they're present for the rest of the summer.
Larry Pedigo, University Professor of entomology
My favorite is the bean leaf beetle because we're working with them. There's been an unprecedented out-break of them for the past three years. And they're my favorite because they are pretty. Some are yellow with black spots and some red with black spots, similar to the lady bug, but a little different shape. And they're my favorite because they keep us employed.
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University Relations Revised
7/19/00
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